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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

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Technical  and  Bibl'ographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibiiographiques 


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□ 
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0    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  blacki/ 
Encre  da  caulimr  (i  a   antm  /«■•«  ui^....  >.. 


D 
D 
D 


n 


D 


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30X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


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conformit*  avec  les  conditions  du  central  Je 
filmaga. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim*e  sont  film*s  en  commenpant 
par  Ie  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derni*re  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  Ie  second 
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premi*re  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derni*re  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symboies  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derni*re  image  de  cha^ue  microfiche,  selon  Ie 
cas;  Ie  symbols  — ><»•  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  Ie 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film*s  *  dee  taux  de  reduction  diff*rents. 
Lorsque  Ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich*.  il  est  film*  A  partir 
de  I'angle  sup*rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  ^  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  Ie  nombre 
d'images  n*cessaire.  Les  diagrammed  suivants 
illustrent  la  m*thode. 


1 


6 


ZM 


CATHOLICITY 


IN 


Westchester  County, 


NEW  YORK. 


Seventeen  fltftfi 


Eighty  One- 


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4 

J. 


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jia.  iui  $M.,  Irs 


CATHOLICITY 


IN 


WESTCHESTER,    N.  Y., 


HISTORY  OF 


St.  RAYMOND'S  Church, 


WESTCHESTER,  N.  Y., 


BY 


REV.    D.    P.    ONE  ILL, 

ASSISTANT  RECTOR  OF  ST.  RAYMOND'S ; 


CHAPLAIN  OF  THE  N.  Y.  CATHOLIC  PROTEC 
Westchester,  N.  Y. 


N.  Y.  C.  PROTECTORY  PRINT, 

WESTCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


Coi'VRKJfIT,   l8(/^, 

HK\'.  I),  p.  O'NKII. 


PREFACE. 

Thanks  are   returned   to  Kev.  E.  MoKenna,  pastor  of  St.  Kay- 
monds,  to  Rev.    E.    J.   Fl.ynn,  Mount    V.rnon.   and   the  N     Y 
l.atl)olic   Protectory,    for  courtesies  extended  in  the  past      The 
wnter   's   in,lebted   for    material   to  the   State  Library.   Albany, 
N   v'p^   \-    "'«t«'-'CHl   Society,    Astor  and    Lenox    Librarie;. 
i^.  I.  i.ity.     Una  article  commemorates  the  advent  in  1781   of  a 
Koman  Catholic  priest,  and  5,000  Roman  Catholic  French  soldiers, 
in  Westchester  County,  N.  Y.,  and  the    Borcugh  of  the    Hronx 
As  yet,    Roman  Catholics  have  done  little  or  nothing  to  keep  alive 
the  memory  of  an  event  so  important  in  the  history  of  the-connty, 
and  our  Church.     That  public  spirited  and  patriotic  organization, 
the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,   in  gratitude  for  French  aid.  1776- 
178:i,  are  erecting  tablets,  printing  old   records  ;    thereby  siioNving 
their  appreciation   of   the   services   rendered   by   France   to   tlie 
L  nited  States  during  the  Revolutionary  period.     All  honor  to  these 
worthy  sons  of   worthy   sires,"  generally   not   of   our   faith   or 
Church   who  are  reminding  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Westchester 
of  the  debt  which  they  and  the  whole  country  owe  to  such   Cath- 
olic heroes  as  Rochambeau,   Viomenil,    De  Noailles,  and  Custine. 
Let   the   Roman   Catholics  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  all 
Westchester  Americans,  irrespective  of  race  or  creed,  come  i  ,<rether 
and  devise  means  for  remembering  in  un  enduring  and  substl.tial 
forn,   the  heroism  displayed  in  this   region   during   the  campaign 

o   1781,  by  Washington,  the  American  patriots,  and  the  French 
allies. 


jy.  F.  Catholic  Protectory, 
July  4th,  1890. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  WI'STCHESTER. 


May  2d,  17H0.  n  Fioiicii  s(iiimlroii  siiiling  from  the  hivrbor  of 
Brest,  Franco,  arrived  ut  Newport,  Khodo  Ishiiul,  July  llth,  4  |).  m. 
This  fleet,    coMinmndod   by   Adrninil    Do  Terimy,   carried   5,088 
troops  und  the  Count  Rocl.ambeau,  who,   with    those   soldiers,    ut 
the  command  of  Louis   \'\'I.,    came  over  from   France   to   aid 
Washington  and  the  Americana  in  their  struggle  for  Independence. 
Washington,  then  in  New  Jersey  with  the  army,  sent  General  Heath 
as  his  representative  to  welcome  tiio  French  allies,   and  see  that 
they  wore  properly  received  and  entertained  by  the   local   authori- 
ties  and  citizens. 

The  French  Army  disembarked  on  the  13th,  14th,  and  15th  of  July, 
1780,  and  took  up  quarters  in  a  camp  marked  out  for  it,   between' 
I'Hwtuxit  Avenue  and  North  Street,  Newi>ort.     July  13th,  Rocham- 
beau  opened  military  hospitals  for  the  reception  of  eight  hun.lred 
sick  soldiers  In  Providence  College,  Presbyterian  Church,  395  New 
Lane,  a:ulat  Mrs.  Ilopkin's.  195  Mill  Street.     July  18th,  the  French 
commander  visited  the  sick  interned  in   the  Presbyterian  Church, 
called   again   on  the   -m,    and    heard   Mass    there.     Tlie    Abb6 
Glesnon,  chief  hospital  chaplain,  was  assisted  in  the  discharo-e  of 
clerical  duty  by  the  Abbe  Lacy,  an  L-ish  priest,  who  in  September 
and  October,  1783,  ministered  to  th.e  Roman  Catholics  in  Westches- 
ter County,  New  York.     July  25th,  3Gth,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and 


6  Catuohcity  in  Westchester  County. 

Admiral  Arbuthnot  collected  a  fleet  and  eight  thousand  men  at  Xew 
York  for  an  attack   upon   ohe   French  at  Newport.     Tliis  expe- 
dition sailed  up  Long  Island  Sound  as  far  as  Huntington,   L.    I., 
and  then   returned   to  New    York.     July  29th,   a  delegation   of 
twenty-four  Iroquois  Indians  from  Albany,  New  York,  visited  the 
camp,  had  an  interview  with  Rochambeau,  and  expressed  a  desire 
to  hear  Mass.     The  request  was  granted.     This  band  came  at  the 
suggestion  of  General  Schuyler,  who  was  anxious  for  an  alliance 
between  the  Americans  and  Iroquois.     They  were  well  disponed 
toward  the  French,  especially  M.  de   Vaudreuil,  the  last  French 
Governor  General  of  Canada,  w;  j  made  them  a  present  of  a  gold 
crucifix  and  watch.     They  left  for  Albany  on  the  2d  of  Septem- 
ber, more  than  ever  inclined  to  cultivate  friendly  relations  with  the 
Americans.     Later  on,  in  September,  1780,  another  Indian   com- 
mittee  from  Maine  asked  for  a  resident  priest.     De  Ternay  selected 
one  of  the  naval  chaplains,  a  Capuchin  father,  to  work  in  a  field 
where  the  harvest  was  groat  and  the  laborers  few.     In  less  than  three 
months  the  influence  of  the  French  camp  in  behalf  of  Catholicity 
was  felt  for  hundreds  of  miles  around  :   as  far  north   as   Albany, 
New  York,  in  the  forests  a.id  backwoods  of  Maine.     September 
34th,  the  military  and  naval  commanders  returned  from  their  first 
conference  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  with  Washington,  Hamilton, 
and  Lafayette.     The  French  were  delighted  with  Washington,  and 
the  Americans  more  than  pleased  with  the  urbanity,  military  ac- 
complishments,   and    dignified   bearing   of  the   French   officers. 
Admiral  De  Ternay,  commander  of  the  naval  forces,  died  in  New- 
port, December  15th,  of  typhoid  fever.     On  the  following  day  a 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  Counij.  7 

solemn  Mass  of  Requiem  was  sung  for  the  repose  of  his  soul,  and 
he  was  buried  in  Trinity  churchyard  with  all  the  honors  of  war. 

A  spectator  thus  describes  his  interment :  "  The  coffin  was  pre- 
ceded by  twelve  priests,  and  as  the  funeral  was  at  twilight,  with 
lighted  torches  in  their  hands,  around  the  grave,  they  chanted  the 
Roman  Catholic  service,  and  performed  all  the  rites  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  with  a  genuine  feeling  of  sadness  naturally  awak- 
ened by  the  ability  and  virtues  of  the  dead."     March    Otii,  1781, 
Washington  made  his  first  formal  visit  to  the  camp,  and  received 
the  honors  usually  accorded  a  royal  prince  or  marshal  of  France. 
April,  17SI,  M.  de  Jansecourt organized  a  French  masoniclodge  in 
Newport.     The  names  of  those  who  joined  have  been  published, 
and  from  this  record  it  would  appear  that  Freemasonry  made  but  lit- 
tle progress  among  tjje  officers  or  soldiers.    May  8th,  1781,  the  frigate 
Concorde  arrived  in  Boston,  bringing  the  Abbe  Robin  and  des- 
patches from  the   French  government  rooommending  a  forward 
movement  against  the  English  by  land  and  sea,  and  a  union  of  the 
Frenchand  American  forces,  the  latter  then  encamped  in  and  around 
West  Point,  N.  Y.     Rochambeau  notified  Washington,  who  on  May 
22d  met  the  Frencli  leader  at  Hartford,  where  they  held  a  council  of 
war.     An  attack  on  New  York  City  by  way  of  Westchester  or  Staten 
Island  was  ordered,  and  incase  of  failure,  the  seat  of  war  was  to  be 
transferred  to  Virginia.  June  9th,  5  a.  m.,  the  French  Army,  accom- 
panied by  a  chaplain,  the  Abbe  Robin,  began  its  forward  march  of 
215  miles  from  Newport  to  New  York.     They  remained  at  Provi- 
dence from  the  11th  to  the  18th,  M.iiting  for  horses  and  oxen  to 
draw  the  artillery,  provision,  and  ambulance  wagons.      Hartford 


8  Catholicity  in  Westchester  County. 

was  reached  on  the  32d,  and  after  a  rest  of  two  days  the  French 
pushed  on  to  Bedford,  Westchester  County,  New  York,  which 
they  entered  on  Sunday  evening,  July  Ist,  1781.  Iti  ilie  meantime 
Gen.  Lincoln,  on  Sunday,  July  1st,  with  800  Americans  in  50  boats, 
dropped  down  the  Hudson  River  on  the  east  side  to  Dobbs  Ferry, 
landed  there,  and  on  July  3d,  this  division  fo'-med  the  advanced 
guard  of  the  American  Army  at  Kingsbridge.  Monday,  July  2d, 
3  a.  m.,  Washington  followed  from  Peekskill  on  the  Westchester- 
Hudson  River  road,  reaching  Valentine  Hill  at  sunrise,  Tues- 
day, July  3d,  1781.  The  united  forces  of  De  Lauzun,  Walerbury, 
and  Sheldon  made  a  forced  march  of  twenty -eight  miles  from 
Bedford  to  Eastchester,  Mount  Vernon,  hoping  1;o  capture  or  de- 
stroy the  loyalist  regiment  of  De  Laiicey,    then    supposed   to  be 

i 

at  Morrieania.     Rochambeau,  with  his  regiments,  brought  up  the 
rear,  at  North  Castle,  northeast  of  White  Plains. 

Such  was  tlie  disposition  of  the  allied  forces  in  the  attack  of 
Tuesday,  July  3d,  1781,  upon  the  British  posts  at  Kingsbridge.  The 
attempt  to  capture  New  York  was  frustrated  by  a  party  of  Hes- 
sians looking  for  companions,  who  the  day  before  ventured  up  to 
Yonkers  for  a  supply  of  hay.  They  discovered  the  Americans  at 
Kingsbridge,  supported  De  Lancey  at  Williamsbridge,  rescued  their 
comrades  at  Van  Courtlandt,  gave  the  alarm  to  the  N.  Y.  garrison, 
and  retreated  within  the  fortifications  at  the  upper  end  of  New 
York  Island.  Washington,  after  reconnoitering  the  enemy's  out- 
posts, 3  p.  m.,  returned  to  Valenti.ie  Hill  ;  and  at  8  p.  m.,  Tuesday, 
July  3d,  1781,  sent  a  dispatch  from  that  place  to  Rochambeau,   an- 


nouncing the  result  of  the  skirmish. 


Washington  celebrated  Wed- 


CathoUcity  in  Westchester  County.  9 

nesday,  July  4th,  1781,  by  marching  from  Valentine  Hill  to  the  camp 
at  Dobbs  Ferry,  on  the  Hudson.     De  Lauzun  made  his  way  to  Chat- 
terton  Hill,  White  Plains,  and   Rochambeau  bivouacked  at  North 
Castle.    The  French  suffered  severely  from  the  intense  heat,  and  400 
were   sun-struck,    Friday,    July  6th,  on   the   march   from   North 
Castle   to  their  encampment  on  the  east  of  the  American   line 
at  Dobbs  Ferry.     The  labors  of  the  chaplain,   the  Abb6   Robin, 
in  the  military  hospitals,  must  have  been  trying  and  arduous.    An 
hospital  for  the  Frencli  was  first  established  at   North  Castle,  af- 
terwards transferred   three  miles  to  the  west  of   White  Plains,  and 
finally  located  in  St.  Peter's  P.  E.  Church,  Peekskill.     Washington 
and  Luzerne,  the  French  minister,  reviewed  the  army:  the  former,  on 
Sunday,  the  8th ;  the  latter,  on  Tuesday,  the  10th.    Another  attack  on 
the  English,  ordered  for  Saturday,  the  14th,  5  p.  m.,  was  deferred  on 
accountof  bad  weather  and  an  attempt  of  English  war  vessels  at 
Tarrytown  to  destroy  two  American  boats  laden  with  war  supplies. 
On  the   18th,  Dumas,  a  French  engineer,  carefully  explored  the 
country  between  the  opposing  armies,  whileat  the  same  time  Wash- 
ington and  Rochambeau  crossed  the  Hudson  River  to  the  Palisades 
thereby   obtaining  a  good  view  of  the  enemy's   position   in  New 
York  City,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  River.    Saturday,  July 
aist.  8  p.  m.,  the  Americans  were  again  in  the  field.     Generals  Lin- 
coln and  Howe  led  the  divisions  on  the  east  side  of  the  H^^dson  River  • 
Waterbury,  with  Sheldon's  cavalry  and  the  Connecticut  infantry, 
advanced  against  the  loyalists  on  Tlirogg's  Neck,  Westchester  Town, 
while  De  Chastelluxand  De  Lauzun  bore  down  on  De  Lancey  at 
Morrisania.    The  American  and  French  forces  formed  a  junction  on 


10 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County. 


Valentine  Hill  at  daybreak,  Sunday,  July  22d,  1781,  and  at  5  a  m 
were  in  battle  array,  the  line  of  battle  extending  from  Kingebridge 
to  De  Lancey's  Mills,  West  Farms. 

The  Americans  and  French  crossed  the  Harlem  River  and  Spuy ten 
Buy v,l  Creek  to  Manhattan  Island,  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  Eng- 
hsh  war-ships,   artillery,  and  infantry.     American   coolness    and 
bravery  under  these  trying  circumstances  elicited  the  admiration 
and  praise  of   the  French   officers  and   soldiers,   who     now,   for 
the  first   time    during    the    campaign,    had   an  opportunity  of 
see.ng  the  American  soldier  engaged  in  real  warfare.     Some  of 
the  French  engaged  in  expelling  the  loyalists  from  Throgg's  Neck 
and  Morrisunia  plundered  the  inhabitants,  for  which  offense  they 
were  by  comnucnd  of  theirofficers  afterwards  flogged.     The  follow- 
-g  letter,  published  in  Rivington's  Royalist  N.  Y.  Magazine,  Mon- 
day, July  30th,  1781,  from  a  loyalist  mother  living  at  Morrisania  to 
her  son,  an  English  officer  in  the  city,  pays  a  high  tribute  to  the 
French  officers,  who  rescued  herself  and  four  daughters  from  the 
hands  of  brutal  Swiss  mercenaries. 
"My  Dear  Son:— 

"  The  ill  treatment  we  poor  women  received  from  Swiss  soldiers  in 
particular,  encouraged  by  their  guides,  beggars  description.  The 
French,  whom  we  feared  most,  were  the  only  persons  who  treated 
us  hke  human  beings;  their  officers  behaved  well,  and  protected 
those  about  them  more  than  could  be  expected.  Should  any  of 
them  fall  into  your  hands,  use  them  well."  Monday,  5  a.  m., 
July  33d,  Washington,  Rochambeau,  and  a  company  of  engineers 
rode   to  the  end  of    Throgg's    Neck,  AVestchester  Town,  for  the 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County.  jj 

purpose  of  measuring  the  distance  to   Long  island,  with  the  in- 
tention of  afterwards  using  these  calcnhitiona  in  future  military 
operations.     The  distinguished   party  left  the  town  at  6  p.  m., 
rode  back  to  Dobbs    Ferry,  where    they  found    the  rest  of  the 
forces  back   in  quarters  after  campaigning  for  forty-eight  hours 
in    and    around    the  Harlem  Eiver,    Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek,  and 
Long  Island  Sound.     Sunday,  Aug.  19th,  the  army  faced   about, 
marching  north  to  King's  Ferry,  Verplancks  Point.     The  Amer- 
icans crossed  the  Hudson  from  that  place  to  Stony  Point,  Haver- 
straw,  Monday,  Aug.  30th,  10  a.  ni.  ;  the  French  from  Wednesday, 
Aug.  22d,  to  Sunday,  Aug.  26th.    Sunday,  Aug.  26th,  the  army  wal 
on  its  way  to  Yorktown,  Virginia,  where,  in  conjunction  with  the 
French  fleet  under  Du  Grasse,  it  secured  American  Lidependence. 
and  ended  the  War  of  the  Revolution  by  forcing  Cornwallis  to  sur- 
render.    A  word  about  Abbe  Kobin,  chaplain  of  the  French  forces 
in  Westchester,  July  and  August,  1781. 

In  1783,  he  published  a  book   in  Philadelphia,  entitled  "  Nou- 

veau  Voyage,  D.  L'  Amerique,  Septentrionale,  in  U  anne  1781." 

Par  M.    L.    Abbe   Robin   A    Pliiladelphia  et  se  trouve  a  Paris, 

MDCCLXXXIII.     A   Dutch   translation,     "Nieuwo   Reize  door 

Nord  America,"  was  issued  in  Amsterdam,  1782.     The  English 

version    made  its  appearance   in    Philadelphia,    1783,    under   the 

title  of  -New  Travels  Through  North  America,"  in  a  series  of 

letters.     Exhibiting  the  history  of  the  victorious  campaign  of  the 

allied   armies  under  his  excellency,  General  Washington,  and  the 

Count  De  Rochambeau,  in  the   year  1781,  Philadelphia,  printed 

and  sold  for  two-thirds  of  a  dollar,  by  Robert  Bell,  hx  Third  Street, 


^^  Oatholicity  in  Westchester  County. 

MDCCLXXXIU.     A  tmnslation  was  also  printed  in  Boston,  1784, 
by  E.  E.  rowarsand  N.  Willis  for  E.  ]?attelle,  to  be  sold  by  him  at 
bis  book  store,  State  Street,  MDCCLXXXIV.     Copies  of  the  first 
French  edition  and  of  the  English  and  Dutch  translations  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Astor  and  Lenox   libraries,  Xew  York.      The  narra- 
tive of  the  Abbe  is  of  greatest  interest  to  Westchester  Roman  Cutho- 
lies,  because  it  contains  three  letters,  dated  Monday,  July  30th, 
Saturday,  August  4th,  Wednesday,  August  loth,  1781,    from  the 
French  camp  at  Pinllipsburg,  between  White  Plains  and  Dobbs 
Ferry.     These  epistles  are,  as  fur  as  we  know,  the  first  literary  etiort 
of  any  Jto.nan  Catholic  priest  in  Westchester  Countv,  New  York. 
Unfortunately  the  Abb^  makes  no  mention  of  his  priestly  work  here; 
but  DeCourcey,  m  his  -Ilistoryof  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the' 
United  States,'-'  p.  54,  speaks  of  the  effect  the  presence  of  the  army 
chaplains  had  upon  the  Catholics  then  to  be  found  in  different  sec- 
tions of  the  country.     •'  The  march  of  Rochambeau's  army  through 
several  states,  where  Mass  had  never  before  been  said,  brought  "to 
light  Roman  Catholics  in  many  places  where  they  were  not  known  to 
exist ;  and  the  army  chaplains  were  often  surrounded  by  thedescen- 
dants  of  Irishmen  or  Acadians  who  now  saw  a  priest  for  the  first  time, 
<and  implored  them  to  stay  "     During  his  stay  in  Westchester,  from 
Monday,  July  2d,  to  Saturday,  August  2oth,ir81,  the    Abbe  offi- 
ciated on  Tompkins  Fann,  FroT-.h  Hill,  Yorktown,  at  Unionville, 
Pleasantville.  and  North  Castle,  the  latter  districts  now  attended 
by  the  French  Dominican  Fathers,  Sherman  Park.    Rochambeau's 
headquarters  were  at  Ilartsdale,  and  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the 
Abbe  held  religious  services  there  on  Sunday,  July  9th,  IfJth,  30th  ; 


VathoUcity  in  Westchester  County.  jg 

August  oth,  12th,  19th  ;  possibly  near  Valentine  Hill,  Sunday, 
July  22d  ;  and  at  Stony  Point,  Haverstraw,  August  26th,  1781. 
July,  1782,  the  French  broke  camp  in  Virginia,  marching  north- 
ward through  Baltimore,  Pliiladelphia,  New  Jersey,  to  Haver- 
straw ;  sailing  from  Haverstraw  across  the  Hudson  to  Peekskill, 
from  Peekskill  to  Crompond,  northern  Westchester,  where  they 
encamped  from  September  Uth  to  Oct.  23d,  1782. 

The   following   memorandum,  dated  July  18th,  1782,  is  to  be 
found   on    page    10,5   in  the   Diary   of   Claude   Blanchard,  Com- 
missary General  of  the  French  Army.     "  On  the  18th  we  came  to 
Dumfries,  Virginia.     I  was  lodged  in  the  house  of  an  Irishwoman, 
twenty-six  years  old.     In  the  evening  I  introduced  her  to  one  of 
her  fellow-countrymen,  an  Irish  priest,  the  Abbe  Lacy,  the  chaplain 
of  our  hospital,  whom  she  received  very  well."    Later  on  Blanchard 
tells  us  that  on  the  journey  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York,  the 
Abb6  Lacy  acted  as  interpreter  for  the  French  who  could  not  speak 
English,  and  that  one  hundred  sick  soldiers  were  brought  from  Hav- 
erstraw to  Peekskill,  and  placed  in  St.  Peter's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  converted  into  an  hospital  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
The  Abbe  Lacy,  and  probably  the  Abbe  Glesnon,  ministered  from 
Sept.  14th  to  Oct.  23.1,  1782,  to  the  same  people,  and  in  the  same 
places,  as  their  predecessor,  the  Abbe  Robin,  in  1781.     The  French, 
on  Oct.  23d,  1782,  departed  from  Westchester  for  Boston,  taking  the 
overland  route  ;  sailed  from  that  port  Dec.   24th,  1782,  and  after 
an  absence  of  two  years  and  eight  months  in  America,  landed  in 
France,  May  17th,  1783.     As  an  appendix  to  this  article,  we  submit 
to  the  inspection  of  the  reader,  the  letters  of  the  Abbe  Robin,  com- 
posed Monday,  July  30th,  Saturday,  Aug.   4th,  and  Wednesday, 
Aug.  15th,  1781,  in  Westchester  County,  Kew  York. 


I 


LETTERS  OF  THE  ABBE  ROBIN. 


tiffuesofamnitarvlif!      f;~  ¥^'   ^^'"'*""s>  its  founder.-Fu- 

of    he    A,  "e   c    ,s  -LTJ  ^ro'^'r"?. '''"  '^''f''  ^'''^^''«"«'  ^"^  food 
point  of  mukin'lt;7^TT'"'f   "^  ^''«  P^op'e  of  Connecticut  in 

several   k  nds  of   trpp<!      ><^nf«   ^/V        Ir      ''"~^"^  ^^'^-'^^^  and 

-Devastatio?,,  occiS,;^'"  ;°  tW  Z  -^^7^1^^:'  'l'""' 
July  3()th,  1781  wui.— oamp  at  Pliiilipsburg, 

nation  affords  it  a  iraufu\ln,^l'  It'^ofle Island.     Tliis  sit- 

salt  l...)visioL  fof  lo  Wp,T  ?  1  ■'?  1"  "?'■"'  "''''^«-  ^"'"ber,  and 
vessels  b  .  tlere  Til  town  'h'  ''^'"-'^'i  '  }^''''  "^'^  ^^^^  "'^"'J 
name.  P.ov  de,  c^  PWnHo  ^'^^.^'-^P'tal  of  a  colony  of  thesami 

Rliodelshnd  A  i.V^^^^^^  ''  "'*'''  incorporated  with  the  State  of 
in  Mass  ic      etts  B  u    wh^  ^^'^''  ^^''■"''^"^^'  ^  »»"i«ter 

for  proachinr  evv^iS^t      es   Jeth^^^^^^^  ^^  >1",  .magistrates 

and  founded  a  colo  v  i  vfn'o-  H  f  ^  ^^"'  ^J""^  "'^^^ '"«  followers, 
to  preserve  0  posS'tv^  5. 'n  *'^^ '^'^"'^  «f  i'rovidence.  in  orde  • 
lie  had  experiS  ^  f  h  J?'"^'"''''/^  the  odious  treatment 
wholly  takerurvith  L  '-'^  th ere _  forty  years  in  solitude, 
structing  the  In^liS  ''^.^2^'^  thy ntnnt  settlement  and  !«: 
principles  and  pn  ct  cos  of  ,  1  n  T^'  ^o"ie  pieces  against  the 
far  m-inne.  f  liVl  i"  i  ^^>«  Q'^i'^ers,  and  m  the  end,  hisregu- 
to  repen'of  h  '  usllf  s  tr;t",'  conduct  forced  hi^  enenfies 
see.  sir.  theannlof     ,iv    ^\^'1,''f'^^       '""i-     ^"^1   thus  you 

treat  of  the  irJ^udsoipnl      ?"*•'"  '    ^''^   "P  "^  ^''^  q"'"et  re- 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County.  15 

them  the  companions  of  my  labours  and  my  pleasures  -what  a 
change  do  I  experience  now  when  I  am  tra,.spo.-ted  h.to'the  ml? 
of  the  hurry  of  camps-all  tumult  and  comn,otion  arou,^  rne-and 
experiencing  every  moment  a  thousand  wants  •  me-and 

Here  I  am  taught  to  fix  the  true  value  upon  useful  inventions  and 
to  distinguish  them  from  those  which  are  only  cur  0  a  and  X^ 
sica       A  single  sheet  protects  me  from   i]l   inclemency  of   the" 
weather  ;  and  I  am  without  books  to  divert  my  mind  fr  m  h     I 
tigues  I  feel.     The  difficulty  of  providing  a  "  ffic    ncy  of   ar  ia  J^" 
and  finding  provision  to  support  the  horses  or  oxen,  obnge^St 
Rochambeau  to  order  that  no   officer  should  n-in-v  um-h,  i  • 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty   poiS  we  S  t   inSi^^  i   ^TuT 
etc.  ;  and    thus  it  happened   Fn  o.n  xj^l^^^lt't^^^^^        S 
almost  all  of  us  were  ,n  want  of  some  one  necessary  orano  li^r    1 

ing  tlie  hottest  part  of  the  day  for  the  hncrano-l  i.„/  ""/" 

any  repose.     Tlfe  sun  has even^  som    im'^eS^^'s\  fiS^^^  '''^' 

before  our  weak  stomachs  have  begu^to  rSve  1  d  d  l=f  l?' 
necessary   food.     Stretched    it  full    uV^fi  ^^        ^^^^^^   *^^® 

panting  with  thirst  In  e  often  wLleS^kpT?  '^^  ^'"^'"'^  ^»d 
GospeCthat  anotheV  Lazarus  w"rd1ipijffii'/ei"^  tTw"/  ''^ 
cool  my  parched  tongue.  Our  young  generals  who  h^,vrv  f  *:? 
m  ease  and  delicacy,  bore  up  under  tlSe  ff/ia,  I  '/k  ^'^"  ^''^^ 
resolution  that  makes  nieTh^h  for  Jv  w  fkno.T  'i'^'^'Tf  ^^ 
tables  exhibiting  at  the  same  time ^^buLVce  anT^^^^^^  ^ 

the  officers  to  a  state  of  living   which  the   want  o     dS^s^^^^^^ 
otlei  necessary  n.eans  would  render  it  impossible   for  them  otW 
wise  to  enjoy.      Diey  encourage  the  soldiers  under  the  Srkv  of 
duty,  by  marching  before  them  on  foot.     M.  Le   V  comte  rilV 
allies  has  in    particular   made  a  whole   campaign  on   f 0^     ^m.l: 
you  will  wonder  at  most  is,  that  the  French  nefer  lose    heir  clLer 
fulness  and  gaiety  m  these  painful   and  laborious  rrarche       tL 
Americans,  whom  curiosity  brings  by  thous-inrls  In  n , 


le 


Valkolicity  in  Westchester  County. 


eqimlity.   ami  these  uro  tho  first  fruits  of  the  uUiuiice   which  is   we 
hope    to  subsist  perpetually  between  the  two  nations!     The  fa  l.eTs 

w  .0  wS  roriLrf'"  t:^  "^  ^'""'  "'^'^'"^' «--« ^  ^'-»  ''•'- 

wno.  When  tlioy  first  lieani  of  our   niarcii  iiir,  viowini;  us  through 
t  u,  mednun  of  proju.lioe  and  misreprosentatimi,  had  m'ml  e     fo 
the,r  possessions  and  their  lives.     Their  newspaper   cUi   I;!/   ou 

T  .  l';"'  ■'"'T-  ^'"^'^•.'?  •'"J"'^^''^"  t«  ^''«  discipline  of  ou  irn  y 
,  o „  'l  1"'^''';^ ^«^'  ^^'[''  Jo.V  forgets  thefatiguls  of  the  n.or  i  g 
m    makx-shinuself   wretched    by   anticipating \hose  of  to-n.orw 

w  eei^tr',H.!;h'T''^^^S'"  ^''«  «^''^'«  "f  tlfeir   national   growt l," 
Wherein  the     istinctions  of  birth  and  rank  are  scarcely  known   conl 

ask  tf.e  latter  what  his  trade  was  in  his  own  countrv,  not  beinir 
pe  n  rnent  Tan  vf  '  '  'f-I-tion  of  a  soldier  may  "be  fixed  2 
su   ivMN  11      L   '^^     l^^  ^^■^''^  Marrpiis  ,le    Lafayette 

Th  in  el  tirf^^^^  I?  ''•"  ^"^^''•i'^""«  ^v  J.is  title  of  Marquis, 
excited't   H      n  '^'"''^^   ^''«"'»^y    the  Marc  uis. 

?ou  '  A  no  i,r  ■'^'"''^  'fP'^^'  to  a  great  degree;  and  the 
S5s  bono  "^'^^"\^'^  always  considered  it  as  one  of  their 
n  av  bo  H  f  '  'f^T'^''"*^^'^  ''"^^'  that  nobleman.  Whatever 
ffinl  n  Hi.  b7''^^.  this  army,  it  will  always  retain  the  glory  of 
navng  nm  le  the  most  lasting  impression  in  these  countries  and 
rendered  the  memory  of  the  French  name  dear  and  preco,    to  a  1_ 

syctinrromnii'.^f '""  ^^  ''T  ^'?'^'^'""'  -'^^  vizi:ire 

cZi  e  t      £Z?r^^  ^^^'^  «'•  «P''^''tding   universal 

3';^  the  trf/'^T^f  >,«»•«'  I'ad  no  expectations  of  dis- 
midst  of  tbp  In  ""K  ^}^  ^  '■'""''  '"'^^^^^  ^"d  fashions  in  the 
midst  ot  the  wilds  and  forests  of  America.  The  head-dresses 
0   all  the  women,  except  Quakers,  are   high-Pr>reading  decked 

fl  e  SL^^'f?.' -^''''^'^  '   '-^"'^   lierelSannot   bu^,Xt   m,on 
the  oddness  of  their  taste,  when  1  find  through   the    whole  state 

sav  to^"f"'"'  T  P'-«^'"Ji"g  '•^"    inclination^or  dress    1    my 
say  to  a  degree  ot  extravagance,  with    manners  at  the   same   tTme 

ha^ie'T'^,";  I-f.- to  resemble  those   of  the  Incient  pat    "•! 

Sl^offood  Tlivf"T"''"^"^'''^  "'"^  their  most  cLmon 
CO  H  fr?i'  \-l  V«^^'^^«o."'"ch  tea,  and  this  sober  infusion 
Te  st  ^be  on'nT  t'''T''  °^their  lives.  There  is  not  a  sing 
s^aucers  .nd  nZ  vn  <^f «  .^^ot  drink  it  out  of  China  cuns  and 
li tv  ami  wei  Z  '  '"^""l"^  '''  ''^"'"'  *^'>^  S^^'-^^est  markof  civ- 
v  th  1  em  r  .  I  '^"  ''!^''  y^"'  '^  '«  ^"^ite  you  to  dnnk  it 
■mddrnUnf!     ^^""tries   where  the  inhabitants  live  upon   foods 

i    alth     but  I  tli^lt '"^'^^^^^  ''   ""^^be  useful  to    the 

rl;     "  ,^^^  ^^  '^  prejudicial  in  those    where  they  subsist 

mostly  on  vegetables   and  milk,  especially  when  tL  soil/ yet  too 


which  is,  wo 
The  fatliers 
8 ;  even  those 
<  118  through 
-rem  hied    for 
irin<,'  nil  our 
of  our  urniy. 
lie  niorjiing, 
f  to-morrow. 
Hill   growth, 
known,  con- 
V,  uiid  often 
,   not  being 
>e  fixed  and 
B    liRfuyette 
of  Miirquis. 
lie  Marquis, 
!  ;    and  the 
)ne  of  their 
\\  hatever 
he  glory  of 
in  tries,  and 
ous  to  all — 
rhaps  more 
I   universal 
)n8   of  dis- 
)ns    in    the 
ead -dresses 
nd  decked 
fleet    upon 
vhole  state 
is,   1    may 
same   time 
nt  patriar- 
t  common 
V  infusion 
at  a  single 
cups  and 
ark  of  civ- 
0  drink  it 
pon   foods 
Pul  to    the 
tey  subsist. 
1,  yet  too 


CnthoUcUii  in  Wesfchester  (Jounitj. 


17 


much  shaded  by  the  woods,  makes  them  the  less  noi.rishing  ;  and 
nerhaps   this  may    be  one  of  the   causes  that,   with   a   robust  and 
healthy    constitution,    their   lives    here  are   much   shorter    than 
those  of  the  inhabitants  of  other  countries.     The  loss  of  their  teeth 
is  also  attributed  to  the  too  frequent  use  of  tea.     'I'he  women,  who 
are  commonly  very    handsome,  are   often   at    eighteen   or   twenty 
years  of  age   entirely  deprived   of   this  most  precious   ornament ; 
though  I  am  of  opinion  that  this  premature  decay  may  be  rather  the 
etfect  of  warm  bread  :  for  the  English,  the  French,  and  the  Dutch, 
who  are  great  tea-drinkers,  preserve  their  teeth  sound  a  long  time. 
The  inhal)itant8  of  Connecticut,  who  raise  such  excellent  corn,  are, 
however,  ignorant  of  the  valuable  art  of  rendering  it  more  digestive 
and  consequently  more  nourishing,  by  thorough  fermentation  and 
kneading.     W  henever  they  want  bread,  they  make  a  cake  which 
they  set  to  bake  at  the  fire  upon  a  thin  iron  plate.     The  French 
whom  the  war  brought  into  America,  never  could  accustom  them- 
selves to  this  kind  of  bread,  but  did  their  endeavor  to  instruct  the  nat- 
ives how  to  bring  it  nearer  to  perfection.     In  the  inns  upon  the  road 
we  found  sonie  tolerably  good,  but  far  inferior  even  to  tha  t  made  in 
our  army.     The   inhabitants   who  reside  at   a   distance   from  the 
highways,  preserve  their  ancient  customs  in  this  and  other  particu- 
lars with  great  obstinacy,  and  believe  no  bread  in  the  world  to  be 
better  or  more  palatable  than  their  own.     Scattered  about  among 
the  forests,  the  inhabitants  have  little  intercourse  with  each  other 
except  when  they  go  to  church.     Their  dwelling-houses  are  spa- 
cious, proper,  airy,  and  built  of  wood,  and  are  at  least  one  story  in 
height,  and  lierein  they  keep  all  their  funiture  and  substance.     In 
all  of  them  that  I  have  seen,  I  neverfailed  to  discover  traces  of  their 
active  and  inventive  genius.     They  all  know  how  to  read  ;  and  the 
greatest  part  of  ;  hem  take   the  Gazette  printed   in  their  \illa<re 
which  they  often  dignify  with  the  name  of  town  or  city.     I  do  not 
remember  ever  tohaveeutered  a  single  house  without  seeinga  huge 
family  bible,  out  of  which  they  read  on  evenings  and  Sundays  to 
their  households.     Tiiey  are  of  a  cold,  slow,  and  indolent  disposition, 
and  averse   to  labor  ;    the  soil,  with  a  moderate  village,  siipplvino- 
them  with  considerably  more  than  thev  can  consume.     They  <ro'and 
return  from  their  fields   on  horseback,  and  in  all  this  country  vou 
will  scarcely  see  a  traveller  on  foot.     The  mildness  of  their  char,icter 
is  as  much  owing  to  climate  as  to  their  customs  and  manners,  for  vou 
hnd  the  same   softness  of  disposition   even  in  the  animals  of  'the 
country.     The  horses  are  of  an  excellent  breed,  and  it  is  common  for 
them  to  go  long  journeys  at  the  rate  of   fifty  or  sixty  miles  a  day. 
J  hey  are  very  teachable,  and  it  is  a  rare  thing  to  find  any  of  them 
stubborn  or  skittish.     The  dog  here  is  of  a  fawning,  timid  nature, 


18 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County. 


broken  a,Hl  hoHPHe.     Tl  o  Amofi,.  ns  n    M      "^ ''''    '°'^«  '«   ''"tJier 

io8tonto   IVovidenco.  Ilmv^S     no   ^-i;^''"   ^"■^•'«- ^Imt   fn,,,, 

even  when  tl.o  <lay  ^hh  f "         L  tclln    "''J-/':?"«''  ^''«  ^*'»"'''^. 

dnuipy.     In  those  ^>.tnMurre,^a: '"'?,"  "f,';"'^'''  '^  ^''/  '^-^  ^'xtrao.- 
'tPl.i>..;ss  an.l   importance  inn'ouh' ^^^  "^  "/""'"«^'  ««^«  ''^^ 

dre...  He  IS  not  toAnente,!  wi  lu  !  'nf^  T  "'"n.berof  J.iH  cl.il- 

;n  "  rank  of  life  i„  which      ey       X  b    ^h 'to  ''^'''*'  '."^  ^''"^'""^  ^''«'» 
Bred  up  .nujer  his  eye,  and    f    mo,l  i      "*'''  ''"""«"  futher. 

""t  cover  his  old  aire  iihslno,^-^  '"s  e.xan.j.le.  they  will 
;•""«. .pon  him  tln'twd'Shs'ir  :')''•  ^'''"^•'"'•^«  ''"«'  ^«-^- 
to'nb.  Ho  no  more  fears  thiti  ^  ^  '"",'''  *''^''  ""'''•"^v'  to  the 
tbut  might  one  .luv  cor  e  ,  ,  ,.  '  "  '"''.''''  ''  ^*"'''^"'  in<lii?ence 
""^1  n.akehis  tenJer^rt  ^e  nl' tT'';'"  '"s  paternal  IVeiln;^! 
of  children.  Like  \ui  thl\  v  1  bi  Mh  '  ""''  '"''  '^''  '""^''«'- 
"res,  and  even  their  anibi  inn  fn    i  ^'"'"'  ''"'■^«'    ^''^'r   pleas- 

totheraisir.gandnuri   Iv-n     tt  ^T'f  "^   '^  '•"•'''    ^'". 

eniarging  their  fields  and  o  dn  T     '  1""'  "'"  ^'"'tivution  and 

more  sunple  in  their  ma.n.es  I  \,u  n.n  '!'''?'  '"'^bandmen, 
their  ronghness  and  rnst  oitv  n  ^'TV'^''  ^''^^'^  "'««  Jess  of 
neither  theirlow  cunnh.g  o  '28i\nXl';'''f  ^''r^''  ^''">'  ?«««««« 
luxurious  arts,  and  less  hibo ri  us  h' v  >  rl  !'"'^''"'  '"^'"'«^'^'^  ^''^m 
ancient  usages,  but  are  [TtZl\SZ'''''  '"  """"''  ''""^''^^  ^o 
Meeting  whatever  tends  to  he  convSncv  l.,''.''''''''!.^'  ""^'  P^'- 
Ihis  country  is  intersected  witl^  u?inS^  '^"V*"'<^  ^'^  I'^e. 

and  rivulets;  but  ConiiPPtJPnf  p;  inciedible  number  of  rivers 

the  whole  state.  T^ town  o  la  S  f''^  ?'"«'<'^''H'^ie  river  in 
cap  tal,  and  consists  at  pent  of  fo1;ol'"^  ^Z'  '^«  '^'^"^•«'  *«  the 
dred  houses  and  a  stree  two  miles  in  S.  ^''"J.^^''''' «^^  «^«  hun- 
enough  to  float  vessels  of  nhmr/  -.  i  ^^^''-  ""-'  ''ver  is  deeo 
"P  to  the  town.     The  so  1  tTig^^^^^^  ^'^'^3'  {ons  burton' 

the  river,  and  yet  it  produces  m,,;!;^    rV*^'"*  southern  side  of 
other  kinds  of  grain    in  TZ     .     ^j  •"'  ^"'^'»"  ^o'''.,  and  several 

'n-ch  whiter  thf/Zth';    i„?Cce^"ncrt,?;/*"  '""'  '''  ^'^^^^^ 
This  was  a  considerable  nrf  nX  ''^  *''^^''  equally  r  v.olV.pt 

shuuls.  where  t  ey    evenhe^^^^^^^  V^''^^'^  ^^^^^    ''^^it 

J"g  of  a  n.ore  n.eafy  a'  b  t  nee   aKoi'f    ""'  ^"'■^^^'"'  -'"•^■^-  '^ 


tnty. 

[  any  violence  from 
Ills  voice  is  mther 
trtsftre  yery  lioRpit- 

vii-tiie,  tlmt   from 
:  women  tmvelling 
'"■ojigli  the  woods, 
lit  history  relates  of 
if*  fur  less  extruor- 
»f  11  family  sees  liis 
limber  of  his  cliil- 
iieof  plncin<rtliem 
kvn  liimasiifutlier. 
vunij)lc.  they    will 
io  (/ares  and  vexa- 
ith  sorrow  to  the 
fancied  indigence 
paternal  feelings, 
8  ever  tiie  mother 
'res,    their   pleag. 

of   a  rnral    life, 
e  cultivation  and 
'<"!  husbandmen, 
have  also  less  of 
ed,    they  possess 
ler  removed  from 
iiiK'h  attached  to 
en  ting  a?id    per- 
comfort  of  life, 
umber  of  rivers 
siderable  river  in 

its  banks,  is  the 
>iir  or  five  hun- 
\  river   is   deep 
fty  tons  burthen 
outhern  side  of 
irii,  and  several 
3ad  of  wliich  is 
lally  f \->o)1oi>t. 
lie  West    hidiy 
pean  jiwir.,  be 
i  miKui   longer 
'i   lighter  than 
;  the  surface  of 
iicles  are  more 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County. 


19 


ubundunfcnear  tlio  surface,  and  the  roots,  iti  consefjuenco,  direct 
themselves  horizontally,  and  thus  thov  are  more  exposed  to  the  im- 
pressions of  heat  droughts  and  ni -istiire,  and  liable  to  be  afflicted 
by  tiio  various  changes  of  the  atmosphere  ;  and,  indeed,   I  have  re- 
nuirked  that  the  trees  here  almost  always  begin  to  decay  at  the 
roota.     I  once  imagined  that  these  anti(|ue  forests,  into  which  the 
arm  of  man  had  never  carried  the  destructive  strokes  of  the  axe, 
would  have  nothing  to  olTer  to  the  view  at  every  step  but  ancient 
trees,  whoe  rugged,  knottv,  hollow  trunks,  worn  by  rains  aiul  frosts, 
snpnorted  nothing  more  than  a  dry,  miked  top  stripped  of  its  ex- 
tenued  boughs.     Instead  of  these  vonorablo  tokens  of  age  that  1 
looked   for   in  the  woodlands,   I  found  everywhere  the  freshness 
and  vigour  of  youth  the  most  robust.     The  trunks,  close  and  com- 
pact, straight,  and  towering  into  the  air  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
eye.  display  from  the  top  a  multitude  of  branches  clothed  with  a 
deeper  green  than  ours  can  boast  of.     The  oak  is  by  fur  the  most 
frequent  to  be  met  with  ;  for  the  tree  most  useful' to  man  is  the 
tree  of  climates— and  I  observed  no  less  than  six  or  seven  different 
sorts  in  this  country.     The  leaves  of  one  sort  are  broad,  with  almost 
imperceptible  indentings  :  in  others,  the  incisions  are  still  deeper  ; 
and  in  some,  they  are  so  deep  that  the  principal  fibres  otily  remain 
extended.    A  day  or  two  ago,  I  met  with  some  oaks  bearing  leaves 
that  are  long  and  narrow,  and  very  much  resembling  those  of  the 
peach  tree.     liut  the  monarch  of  these  forests  is  the  tulip,  or  yellow 
tree  ;  its  aspiring  top  rises  above  the  loftiest  oaks,  and  its  thick,  ex- 
tended branches  project  their  shadow  to  a  very  great  distance  ;  its 
leaf,  compact,  smooth,  and  slender,  is  somewhat,  in  shape,  like  a 
man's  head,  with  this  difference  :  that  the  longest  side  appears  to  be 
cut   transversely.     Each  leaf  is   originally  folded  in  a   particular 
wrapper,  formed   simply  of   two   other  leaves   of   an  oval   shape 
touching  in  every  point  of  their  circumference.    This  principal  leaf 
afterwards  separates  the  two  others  in  order  to  expand  and  give 
room  for  growth,  in  the  same  manner  as  a  young  bean  shoots  out 
from  between  the  leaves  that  confine  it  on  each  side.     The  tulip — 
that   brilliant  flower  npon  which  our  florists  lavish  such  a  profu- 
sion of  toil  and  expense,  grows  to  the  number  of  thousands  u[)on 
this  stately  tree— refreshes  the  eye  of  the  American  native,  and  per- 
fumes the  air  which  he  breathes  beneath  its  shade.     Out  of  this 
the  Indians  make  their  canoes,  or  troughs,   formed   wholly  of  one 
piece,    and   in    particular   the  English-Americans   have   "followed 
their  jxample,  making  some  of  them  large  enough  to  carry  more 
than  thirty  men.     The  tulip-tree,  being  of  a  nature  fitted  to  flour- 
ish in  every  cliniuLe,  it  would,  I  think,  succeed  perfectly  well  in 
France.     More  pleasant  to  the  sight  than  thechesnut  tree,  and  more 


20 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County. 


clean,  it  would  form  woods  and  avenues  fully  as  thick  and  lofty,  and 
its  timber  would  be  infinitely  preferable  for  every  kind  of  joiner's 
work.  The  sassafras,  an  aromatic  shrub,  is  found  in  open  places 
exposed  to  the  siiii  ;  also  on  the  sides  of  the  highways  and  along 
the  skirts  of  fields.  Its  leaf  resembles  that  of  tlieflg  tree,  but  not 
so  large  or  thick,  and  is  of  a  paler  green;  it  produces  a  small  point 
grov/ing  in  apod  milky  when  it  is  green,  and  of  a  purple  color 
when  ripe.  Its  odoriferous  quality  is  resident  chiefly  in  the  bark, 
and  particularly  in  that  of  the  root  ;  its  property  is  sudorific.  We 
also  found  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  Eiver  a  sort  of  rose- 
laurel,  covered  with  flowers,  and  affording  a  delightful  pros- 
pect to  the  eye.  The  gum  tree,  which  we  found  in  low  interval 
lands,  is  a  species  of  grove-laurel,  the  smell  of  which  is  somewhat 
like  that  of  our  common  laurel,  but  more  agreeable.  Its  fruit,  much 
like  grains  of  pepper,  is  covered  with  an  oily  substance,  of  which 
they  make  wax  candles.  The  wax  is  drawn  from  the  berry,  and 
collected  by  boiling  them  in  water,  and  these  candles,  when  burn- 
ing, emit  a  delightful  smell.  But  the  process  is  too  troublesome, 
and  the  product  too  small,  for  it  ever  to  become  an  olgect  of 
commerce.  The  maple  tree  here,  grows  to  a  very  great  size,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  productions  of  all  North  America. 
Where  the  sap  runs,  they  make  incisions  in  the  body  of  the 
tree,  from  which  a  rich  liquor  flows  out,  which,  when  boiled  down, 
becomes  a  perfect  sugar,  and  is  used  as  such.  This  tree  per- 
fectly resembles  our  maple  in  France,  and  yet,  why  is  it  that 
it  has  this  distinct  property  ?  Can  it  be  because  it  vegetates  in  a 
new  soil,  where  tl'o  juicesare  in  greater  abundance  for  its  nourish- 
ment ;  or,  rath  re  we  ignorant  of  the  real  properties  of  our 
maple.  Chestnut  and  walnut  trees  are  likewise  very  common  here. 
The  last  are  various  in  their  kinds,  and  the  difference  is  known  by 
the  leaf  and  the  fruit.  There  is  one  sort,  the  wood  ol  which, 
full  of  veins,  makes  excellent  furniture,  and  the  outside  of  its 
fruit  has  considerably  the  smell  of  citron;  they  all  produce  nuts,  the 
kernel  of  which  is  not  so  easy  to  come  at,  and  they  ai'e,  besides, 
very  hard  to  break.  The  meat  is  not  got  out  of  the  shell  but  with 
great  trouble,  and  by  small  quantities,  and  after  all,  the  taste  is 
strong  and  disagreeable.  We  also  found  here  a  kind  of  bunch 
cherry,  small  and  somewhat  bitter.  The  grape-vine,  the  culture  of 
which  they  are  wholly  ignorant  of,  e^en  in  Virginia,  is  seen  every- 
where climbing  and  supporting  itself  upon  the  trees.  I  have  ob- 
served two  general  sorts  of  vines  in  America,  the  fruit  of  one  of 
which  was  of  a  close  contexture,  plump,  and  as  large  as  the  smaller 
species  o*  plumbs  ;  but  the  taste  was  intolerably  insipid,  ami  I  do 
not  bel'dve  that  the  culture  of  this  sort  would  turn  out  to  anv  ad- 


Catholicity  in  Westchester-  Coiintv. 


21 


vantage.     Ihe  raisin,  or  fleshy  part,  was  small,  the  skin  hard,  and 
the  kernel  large,  preserving   a  greenisli   taste   even  when  ripe      I 
am  convinced,  if  this  kind  was  cultivated  with  due  care,  it   would 
soon  come  to  perfection.     The  vines  we  see  in  Fiance  in  the  vine- 
yard provinces,  growing  at  random  in  hedges,  witliout  cutting  or  cul- 
ture, are  of  a  kind   very  little  superior.     The  English  have   tried 
plantations  of   vines  in  Virginia,  but   never  could   succeed.     In- 
stead of  bringing  them  from  foreign  countries  and  cultivating  them 
in  the  manner  of  these  countries,  they  should  have  taken  such  as 
were  natural  to  tlie  soil,  and   given  them  a   culture  suitable  to  the 
c  imate,  and  then  success  might  be  expected.     The   Roman  Cath- 
olic priest  at  Baltimore,  in  Maryland,  told  me  he  had  a  vineyard  of 
this  sort,  from  which  he  liad  great  expectations.     It  belongs  to  man 
to  multiply,  to  fertilize,  and  bring  to  perfection  the  useful  produc- 
tions of  the  various  countries  of  the  world,  by  arranging  the  soils  di- 
recting the  course  of  the  sap,  by  pruning  and  blending  tiie  various 
kinds  oF  fruit  by  means  of  engrafting.    We  are  indebted  to  the  exper- 
lencf^  o.  many  ages  for  those  happy  inventions,  as  well  as  for  the  or- 
namentc  and   opulence  of  our  gardens  and   orchards.     Man,  we 
may  say,  is  the  restorer  of  nature  ;  he  enlivens,  enriches,  and  beau- 
tihes  It.     ihe  simple  turf  that  bedecks  the  ground  will  only  pre- 
serve Its  verdure  in  such  places  as  he  has  exposed  to  the  sun  and 
air.     Ihe  timid  bird  that  flies  from  his  sight ;  the  wild  beast  that 
trembles  at  his  approach,-dwell  only  in  these  sequestered  haunts 
And  solitary  places  which  surround  him  at  a  remote  distance 

If  curiosity  has  sometimes  urged  me  to  penetrate  far  into  the 
gloomy  forests,  I  there  no  longer  heard  the  voice,  no  longer  traced 
the  vestiges  of  animated  beings,  but  walked  only  through  the  path- 
less groves  and  the  faded  ruins  of  the  vegetable  world.  Saddening 
at  this  mournful  silence,  and  the  view  of  these  lonely  obiects 
which  discovered  no  trace  of  the  dominion  of  my  ownspecies  over 
the  wild  genius  of  nature,  I  haste  ned  to  visit  places  and  abodes 
better  calculated  to  enliven  and  gratify  the  soul  of  sensibility 
Ihe  knovvlcdgeof  the  birds  of  this  country  will  constitute  one  of 
the  most  interesting  parts  of  its  natural  history.  I  have  seen  in 
Connecticut  a  kind  of  starling,  the  middle  part  of  whose  wings 
IS  ot  a  deep  red  ;  and  have  observed  another  bird  of  the  color 
of  those  brought  from  the  Canary  Islands,  but  somewhat  larger. 
What  they  call  the  Virginia  nightingiile,  is  more  commonly 
met  with  as  you  advance  to  tiie  South,  but  has  no  resemblance 
to  ours  ;  it  is  large,  and  its  head  and  bellev  of  a  red  like  that  of 
the  bouvreuil.  If  nature  has  been  more  'beautiful  to  it  in  re- 
spect  of   plumage,  she  has   nevertheless  been   far  from  grantin<T 


to  it  so  melodious  a   voice  as 


ours.     The 


mocking-bird 


almost 


I 


22 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County. 


the  size  of  a  thrush,  spotted  with  white  and  grev,  has  the  faculty 
of  mimicking  all  other  birds  that  it  hears.     The  humming-bird 
which,  they  say,  lives  only  on  the  juice  of  flowers,  is  common  enough' 
but  by  the  rapidity  of  its  motions,  there  are  few  persons  that  have 
ever  had  a  distinct  view  of  it.    The  squirrels  are  of  a  pale,  ashy  grev 
larger  than  ours,  very  common  in  the  woods,  and  easy  to  be  tamed! 
1  hose  called  flying  squirrels  are  of  a  darker  grey  and  smaller  in  size  - 
their  skin  is  large  and  loose,  quite  to  the  extremities  of  the  paws 
which  they  extend   when  they  leap  from  one  branch  of  a  tree  to 
another,  and  thus  they  a-e  enabled  to  make  use  of  a  greater  quan- 
tity  of   air   to   support  themselves  upon,  as  a  bird  does  in  flvine 
Ihe  whole  country  from  Hoston  to  Providence  is  level,  and  Thave 
in  this  extent  met  with  brooks  which  we  would  call  rivers  •   their 
beds  in  these  places  where  I  have  passed,  looked  as  if  they  had  been 
hollowed  out  of  a  soil  of  soft  and  spongy  stone,  of  a  green  and  red 
complexion.     I  met,  too,  with  some  blocks  of  petrified  clay,  inclos- 
ing pebbles  or  round  flints,  which,  when  struck  upon,  were  easily 
loosened    and  left  the   nuirk   of   their   form  therei^n.     The   whole 
htate  of  Connecticut  is  covered  with  little  hills,  but  the  countrv  is 
not  sufhciently  cleared  of  the  wood  ;  nor  are  they  of  such  a  size  that 
we  can  easily  determine  their  general  directions.    For  the  most  part 
we  can  only  rank   them  in  that  class  of  hills  which  naturalists  de- 
nominate secondary.     They  are  often  cut  through,  in  order  to  ren- 
der the  descent  less  steep,  and  appear  to  me  to  be  nothing  but  a  mass 
of  stones  of  different  kinds  and  various  sizes,  broken  and  blunted 
Many  of  them  are  more  than  a  cubic  foot  in  thickness,  and  some 
are  three  or  four  ;  the  crevices  between   them    being  filled  with  a 
vegetable  earth,  that  has  little  or  no  adherence  to  the  stone      The 
surface  of  the  soil  is  covered  with  the  same  kind  of  petrifactions  ; 
the  woods  and  fields  abound  with  them  throughout,  and  to  get   rid 
of  them  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  either  throw  them  iirheaps, 
or  pile  them  careless  y  in  the  form  of  a  wall,  on  the  lines  that  bound 
heir  possessions.      The   stones,  from  some  trials  I  have  made  upon 
them  with    aqua  tortis,    I  find  to   consist  of  a  gravelly,  gritty  sub- 
stance, but  not  subject  to  dissolution  by  fire.     Here  is  also  the  spat 
stone,  ising  glass  qu-te  pure,  and   great  plenty  of  talc  ;  and    others 
of  these  rocks  abound  with  ferruginous  particles,  upon  which  the 
loadstone  acts   witli  considerable  effect.     The  State  of  New  York 
still  more  mountainous,  and  the  territory  of  Phillipsburo-,   where 
we  are  now  encamped,  present  the  same  object  to  our  sight      So 
many  millions  of  these  stones  lying  in  heaps, 'and  scattered  tl.i"ough 

!   Mflnf      '"'^'^  ^^T  ^r  ^'?^'"^  "^'^««'  *"■«  t^^«  "^o^t  certain  and 
authentic  monuments   of  the   long   continuance  of   the  waters   on 


these   countries.      Torrents 


and   rivers  could    never  liave   thus 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  Comity.  23 

rounded,  intermingled,  and  thrown  them  into  heaps  ;  the  sea  alone 
must  have  separated  them  by  slow  degrees,   scattered   them  into 
different  parts,  reunited   and   impressed   on   them   these  general 
forms  by  a  continual   attention.     But,  however  attentively  I  have 
considered  things,  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  vestiges  of  ani- 
mal petritications,  or  of  trees  and  shells.     The  North  Kiver  has  in 
and  about  its  bed  very  few  stones  of  the  granite  kind,  but  plenty 
of  marble   freestone  and  slate.     As  we  approach  toward  New  York 
between  the  lines  of  both  armies,  we  see  more  and  more  of  the  sor- 
rowful vestiges  of  war  and  deso]ation,~the  houses  plundered,  ruined, 
abandoned,  or  burnt.     These  Americans.so  soft,  pacific,  and  benev^ 
0  ent  by  nature,   are  here  transformed  into  monsters,  implacable, 
bloody  and  ravenous.     Party  rage  has  kindled  a  spirit  of  hatred  be- 
tween them  ;  they  attack  and  rob   each  other  by  turns,    destroy 
dwelling   houses,  or  establish   themselves   therein  by  driving  out 
those  who  had  before  dispossessed  others.     War,  that  terrible  scourge 
to  arts  and  population,  is  still  more  to  the  morals   of  a  people,  be- 
cause a  change  in  those  for  the  worse  is  more  difficult  to  repair. 

I  am,  etc. 


Letter  III.  Junction  of  the  French  and  American  Armies  at 
Philhpsburg.-West  Point.-Expedition  of  a  party  of  English 
at  Tarry  town. -Bravery  of  thirteen  French  soldiers.-A  detatch- 
ment  of  French  and  Americans  march  to  reconnoitre  the  works  at 
New  York— General  Washington. -Remarks  upon  the  American 
Army.  — i heir  military  dress  and  manner  of  living.— Discipline  — 
Uncertainty  of  the  object  of  the  campaign.-Various  opinions. 
—Improbability  of  success  in  attack  upon  New  York.— Marquis  de 
Lafayette  and  his  army  in  Virginia.-A  march  to  the  southward 
not  unlikely.— Camp  at  Phillipsburg,  Aug  4th,  178L 

The  chief  object  of  our  marching  was  to'form  a  junction  with  the 
army  of  General    NVashington.      This  junction"  was  effected   at 
t  liillipsburg.     Ihe  Americans  arrived  there  the  same  time  we  did 
having  been  before  entrencliod  upon  the  mountains  of  West  Point 
that  command  the  North  River.     The  stream  being  very  narrow  in 
this  part,  the  Americans  have  built  forts  upon  each  side,  the  bat- 
teries of  which  traverse  each  other.     The  fort  upon  the  left  side  s 
situated  upon  a  strip  of  land  that  runs  out  into  the  river,  covered 
on  the  east  by  a  marsh,  and  only  open  on  the  north.     An  army  is 
there  in  a  situation  to  repel  an  attack  from  a  far  superior  force 
and  the  batteries  of  the  forts  can  prevent  anv  vessel  whatever  from 
sailing  farther  up.     This  situation  is  the  more  important  to  the 


24 


Catholicity  in  Westcliesler  (bounty. 


iii^iilliiii 

T,rF,  rl,'  '^'  corps,  aiKl   produced  the  happiest  effects 


Catholicity  in  Wcsfrhesler  dounty.  gfi 

into  the    wuter    to    pursue    tliem,   and  hindered   the   rest   from 
coining  on  shore      This  first  feat  of  the  French  arms  in  America 
^-^ive    tl,e    English    some  idea  of  what  they  wore   to  expect    from 
the    united  etlor  s  of  a  wlioie  corps.     Tiie   commanding   ofllcers 
strove   who   won  id  bo  foremost  in  bestowing   praises   upon    those 
.rave  soldiers.      "My   general,   (answered  the   sergeant   to  M.   lo 
IJan.n  de  \  lomenil.  who  was  e.xtoUing   his  bravery  to  the  skie.-)  1 
am  indebted  to  the  good   advice  and  bravery  of  my  cort)oral  for 
what  1  liave  done,  for  he  perfectly  seconded  my  endeavors."     Cour- 
age is  not  a  rare  virtue  in  France,  but  modesty  is  somewhat  more 
80  ;  and  yet  this  was  a  pattern  of  the  most  perfect  modesty  in  a  cir- 
cumstance very  delicate  for  a  soldier.     I  have,  I  assure  you,  lieard 
a  superior  officer  find  fault  with  the  encomiums  that  were  given 
these  men,  and  blame  M.  Le  Baron  de  Viomenil  for  havincr  after- 
wards invited  them  to  dine  with  him.     Can  virtue  ever  be  too 
much  honored,  or  too  well  rewarded  ? 

IJatteries  were  erected  in  haste  as  low  as  Dobbs  Ferry,  and  when 
the  Fnghsh  frigate  and   troops  came  down,    they  had  to  sustain 
a    very    heavy    cannonade.     A    shell    from   a  mortar    piece   set 
the  frigate  3  sails  on  fire,  and  terror  and  confusion  seemed  predom- 
uianu  among    the  crew,   twenty-two  of  whom  threw  themselves 
overboard   into  the  river,   and   were   mostly  drowned.     General 
Washington  having  signified  his  intention  of  reconnoitering   the 
fortifications  of  New  York,  two  thousand  French,   and  r.s  many 
Americans,  set  out  on  their  march  to  escort  him  ;  and  at  break  of 
day  tound  themselves  within  cannon-shot  at  tiie  enemy's  entrench- 
ments,     i  hey  remained  there  two  days,  while  the  English  contented 
tiiemselves  with  now  and  then  firing  a  cannon  and  observing  their 
motions  at  a  distance.     I  have  seen  General  Washington— that  most 
singular  man-the   soul  and   the  support  of  one  of  the  greatest 
revolutions  th;.,t  has  ever  happened,  or  can  happen  a<rain.     I  fived 
my  eyes  upon  him  with  that  keen  attention   which  the  sight  of  a 
great   man  always  inspires,— we  naturally  entertain  a  secret  hope 
of  discovering  m  these  features  of  illustrious  men   some  traces  of 
the  excellent  genius  which  distinguishes  them  from,  and  elevates 
them  above,  their  fellow  mortals.     Perhaps  the  exterior  of  no  man 
was  ever  better  calculated  to  gratify  these  expectations  than  that 
of  General  Washington.     He  is  of  a  tall  stature,  well  proportioned, 
aline    cheerful,  open  countenance,  a  simple  modest  carriage  ;  and 
his  whole  mien  has  something  in  it  that  interests  the  French,  the 
Americans,  and  even  his  enemies  themselves,  in  his  favor.     Placed 
ma  military  view  at  the  head  of  a  nation,  where  each  individual 
Jias  a  share  in  the  supreme  legislative  authority,  and  where  the  co- 
ercive laws  are  yet  in  a  great  degree  destitute  of  vigor  ;  where  the 


26 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County. 


climate  and  manners  can  add  but  little  to  their  ener^v  •  wJ.o...  fv, 
8F>.rit  of  party,  private  interest,  slowness,  and  natlSl     ,  In      ^ 
suspend  and  overthrow  the  best  concerted  Ss™       Lhn,?  t"""® 
situated,  he  has  found  out  a  method  of  kee^,3  l?i  'TT  ^'',''' 

most  absolute  subordi.uvtion  :  nSg  11^    als     ,  T.rT  "\  •'" 

I  •  •  j""'"o  )  "ui  ii.ivc  nis  arms  evpr  lioon   cr>  f.ifci  *„ 

Li'^zre:."^  t  T^isi  ■■;;?„»-  :i'°f,,E''Tf "« "'^"■"  -"Lea 

h  GSrL"!,"T'"",S'";'  '"■•"/^^  '"  ">o  l>nluc  i;  ?  i  ke  Pet 
F^tl^L  '  ■';  '  I'y  ''='""''  oonduoted  his  aVmy  to  victory,  ami  like 
tabii.s,  but  witli  fewer  resources  and  more  difficiilf»   l,„  l. ,. 

sequently  display  his  true  character.     In  a    tE'St^n  ve    t-Z' 

through    the  towns  with  torches,    and  celeb  ate  1   s^urr  vT   w 

wt'ru'"tr  mld'T^f  h'""  ^'""-'^'^"^  ^'^'^^  coollndU;te    eo    0 
only   0  tie  dTroA"^^  tryn.c.  difficulties  have  attenlled 

oniy  to  tne  (liiections  and  impulses  of  pan  method  and  cnmmr., 
reason,  are  roused,  animated,  Lul  inflamed  at  the  verrLS  n 

been  to  celebrate  (,eneral  AVashington.     It  is  uncertain  how 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  County.  37 

many  men  his  army  consists  of  exactly.     Some  say  only  fonr  or  five 
thousan,  ;  but  this  general  has  always  found  means  to  concea  the  red 
nuniber  from  even  those  who  compose  it.     Sometimes,  wth  a  few 
he  forms  a  spacious  camp,  and  increases  the  nun.ber  of  tents;  It 
other     mes,  w,th  a  great  number,  he  contracts  it  to  a  narrow  loZ 
pass  ;  theu.  aga...   by  detaching  them  insensiblv,  the  wholeJamp   s 
noth.ng   more    than  the  mere  skeleton  and  shadow  of  un     rmy 
whe  the  main  body  is  transported  to  a  distaut  part  of  thecou n^Jy 
Neither  do  these  troops    n  general,  wear  regular  uniforn.s  ;  bn    tlf; 
officers  and  corps  of  artillery  are  obliged,  w.d.out  exception  t   si  ch 
d.stn,c  .on.     Severa   regiments  have  small  white  frocL  w  t      H n 
ges,   wluch  look  well  enough  ;  also  linen  overalls,  lurce  u       f 
wh.ch  are  very  conveu.ent  in  hot  weather,  and  do  not,  at  all  1  in  e.- 

t  d      cTs'tit  ,Hon  nfV^' !"  T''^'-'''^-       ^^'^''  ^""^^  '^^'^  substantial 
and  .1  constitution  of  body  less  vigorous  than  our  people,  thev  are 

better  able  to  support  fatigue,  and  perhaps  for  that  ve.'v    eL  n 

sV^ereil  'T,  T  '"  '^'''''  ^  '''^''''''  ^^^  "°^  ^^^  -ffi--.tlv  eoi w 
eve  too  f.n  .,.  1  r'  '1\T:'^'  '^  ^«"«»'t  the  grutiticatioirof  the 
eye  too  far  and  forget  that  troops  are  designed  to  act  and  not 
merely  to  show  themselves  and  their  finery.  The  ,n,,s  r  ro  er  n- 
parel  would  be  that  which,  being  as  little  burdensome  as  pTsbl 
would  cover  the  soldier  best  and  incommode  him  the  least  S 
regiment  of  Soissonais  has,  in  all  this  tedious  march,  had  the  fewest 
stragglers  and  sick  of  any  other.  One  of  the  prino  pal  causes  w  is 
without  doubt  the  precaution  of  the  colonel,  wl  ^Sn  p  pose7or 
the  campaign    had  linen  breeches   made  for   his  regimeiit       The 

^ernl'nd'neir'  'i^^i!,''  ''?""^^  ""^  ''\'  '''''''  '«  nevertheless 
?l!rnffi:r  rp  -^'T  neatness  is  particularly  obse-vable  amoi.ff 
the  officers.  To  see  them,  you  would  suppose  they  were  equipped 
with  every  necessary  in  the  completest  nianner ;  and  vet3n  en 
tering  their  tents,  where  perhaps  three  or  four  reside  toSe.  I 
have  often  been  astonished  to  find  that  their  whole  tmvelini 
equippage  would  not  weigh  forty  pounds.  Few  or  none  1  ave  S 
rasses-a  single  rug  or  blanket  stretched  out  upon  the  routh  b^  k 
of  a  tree  serves  them  for  a  bed.  The  soldiers  take  the  same  prec  u- 
^on  never  to  sleep  on  the  ground,  whilstours  prefer  it  to  any  ot  ler 

little  tiouble.  Iheycontent  themselves  with  broiling  their  meat  and 
parching  their  corn,  or  breaking  unleavene.l  .fough  ma  e  of 
Indian  meal  upon  the  embers.  In  some  regiments  they  have  necrro 
companies,  but  always  commanded  bv  the  whites.  Their  disci  pi  h^e 
\l  "^iTJr^^l  «eye,.o.  and  the  power  of  the  officers  over  th  o  ie"s 
^  imost  unlimited  ashing  them  with  whips,  and  beating  them 
with  canes  for  the  slightest  faults.     I,  with  some  French  Officers 


28 


Catholicity  in  Westchester  Comity. 


w  8  accKluMlally  u  witness  to  their  vigorous  mode  of  chastisement 
Iho  cnm.nul  WHS  fed  to  the  wheels  of  u  ounnon  curriuee  1  s"  on  ! 
ders  nuked,  h.s  urn.s  stretched  out  in  onler  to<nve  the  nu  sc^s  "iV 
groutest  tens.o.i,  und  in  tliis  situation  every  soklier  of  f  c;'mn  u  v 
..uno  np  and  gave  hun  a  certain  nnn.bor  of  strokes  with  k  ge  ?i  f 
which  soon  covered  hun  with  bloo.l.  What  astonished  s  ^m  £ 
tained  ns  the  longer  at  tiiis  .lisngreeable  spectacle, was  t)>a  T;"  he 
unhappy  c.lpns.  who  both  suffered  the  same  degree  of  pi.nishme 

cnr"'  "is  ;'hf  "''  ''"''  »^'"'"'\  "'•««"'PlHiMt,  or  showed  lu,     si^s    f 
fc.li       Is  this  courage,  oris  the  natural  sensibilitv  of  mankimi  less 
Hcute   among  a  people  where  the  air  of  the  forest  and    lee       tan 
usage  of  tea  and  n.ilk  soften  and  relax  the  fibres  to  a  mo  tus    nis 
ng  degree?    Notwithstanding  the  actual  appearance  o^o   i  ge  "^ 
before  New  \ork,  the  ob  ect  of  the  present  campaign  remains  ven 
uncertain       Some  say  the  Americans  are  tire<l  of  the  war   ad  d  is^ 
con  en  ed  witl  our  inactivity,  and  for  that  reason  the  Fie  c  lA  mv 
has  jomeu  then  solely  to  reanimate  their  drooping  courage        t  is 
u  so  rep.,rte.l  since  the  .efection  of  Arnold,  GenLnV^S^^^^ 
altoge  her  satished  with   the  fidelity   of;his  armv,  hasi  to  he 
i^solu.ono    trusting  the   important   post   of   AV'est    lli   t  to  t  ' 
i^rench      The  views  of  this  general,  in  mv  opinion,  extcn     fn?tl ler 
than  all  this      We  have  Just  learnt  that  M.  de  liarras,  comm  ,    e  • 
of  our  squadron  at  lihode  Island,  has  received  some  t  din"    of  M 
e  Grasse  and  has  sent  him  a  frigate  with  a  number  of  pilots  on 
board  for  these  coasts.    This  looks  as  if  New  York  was  the  r  ob  ec 
Iha    island  and  city   is   at   present  the  general  storehouse  of  U,p 
Engl.sh,  and  the  centre  of  their  operations.     The  ,« io.i  of  M  is 
place  enables    them    to   hold   an  \.isy   communic  ^10^"  h  the  h 
territories  to  the  north  and  south,  and  at  the  same  time  to     e  ace 
he  interior  parts  of  the  adjacent  country  bv  n.eans  of  II    Ws 
R  ver;  also  prevent  the  forces   of  the  n^rtli^-eustern  sfites   fro  n 
a.lvancing  to  the  southward  ;  it  is  also  a  sure  itce  /t  tcl    f'o  •     ,e 
fleets,  where  they  can  plan  and  prepare  for    their  offensive   opera 
tions  111  the  West  India  Islands.  ^ 

The  capture  of  this  pla<-e  would  be  a  decisive  stroke  ;  and  from 
the  moment  such  an  event  takes  jilace,  the  English  must  forev^- 
renounce  the  hope  o  subjecting  the  states  ;  and  in  1  eir  Ztlnt 
exhausted  situation,  I  do  not  see  how  they  would  repair  t.cosso 
the  stores  and  the  troops.  Gharleston  Ld  Savan  lah  1  lavin '  ?o 
oppose  the  whole  impression  and  strength  of  the  An  eric  ,  eonti- 
nenta  forces,  woul,  In.ake  but  a  poor  defense  ;  and  the  We  t  Ind  iu 
Islands,  still  more  difficult  to  be  relieved  bv  timely  assistance  wo  Id 
be  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy.  And  on  the  othe.  Lnd  New 
York  IS  well  fort.hed  and  defended  both  by  land  and  water   and 


CatholicUy  in  WenU'liexier  fount}!. 


99 


the  fortifications  very  extensive.     Jt  is  besides  garrisoned  by  the 
troops  of  Groat  Hrituin,  amonnting  to  fifteen  thousand  men,  inchid- 
itig  the  troops  raised  in  tlie  ooiintry.  so  Miat  to  lav  siege  to  New 
York  tiiere  would  be  wanting,  besifhis  a  snperiiumery  force,  at  least 
thirty   thousand    (non  ;    whereas,    our   cotubitied    army   does    not 
amount  to  more  than  ten  thousand.     It  is  true  the  militia  of  the 
country  may  be  collected,  but  these  are  nothing  more  than  undis- 
ciplined trooj)s.  the  duration  of  whose  services  is  always  limited. 
And  what  could  such  do  against  regular  forces  well  intienciied! 
and  inured  to  all  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  war  for  six  or  seven 
campaigns  ?     Even  the  French  Army,  however  brave  and  well  dis- 
ciplined it  may  be,  is  composed  of  troops,  very  few  of  whom  have 
ever  been  actually  in  battle.     At  any  rate,  a  siege  of  this  place  would 
be  long  and  tedious ;  aiul  as  to  the  squadron  of  M.  de  Grasse,  we 
know  it  cannot  leave  the  West  India  Islands   till  the  hurricane 
season  comes  on,  and   can  only  remain  here  during  that  season. 
Otherwise  his  projected  operations  in  those  seas  would  fail,  and  our 
possessions  be  exposed  to  the  enemy.     If,  on  the  other  hand,  this 
important    expedition    should    fail,    all    would    be   ruined  :    the 
Americans,  exhausted  and    discouraged  at  the  revolt  of  Arnold, 
panting  after  repose,  and  viewing;  us  in  the  light  of  a  feeble  ally,' 
would  lose  courage,  turn  their  views  towards  peace,  and  perhaps 
purchase  it  at  any  price  whatsoever.     The  South  is  probably  the  real 
object  of  this  campaign.     Those  states  have  for  a  long  time  past 
felt  all  the  miseries  of  war,  and  have  been  wasted  alternately  by 
friends  and  enemies.     Virginia  has  been  the  scene  of  cruelties  and 
devastations  of  Arnold  ;  and  Cornwallis,  disquieted  at  the  news  of 
our  marching,  has  quitted  Charleston  and   traversed  with  a  large 
body   of  troops   the   Carolinas  and  Virginia  ;  at   the  same   tin'ie 
plundering  the  settlements,  kidnapping  tlie  negroes,  and  spreading 
death   and    devastation    wherever    he   happened    to    march.      So 
many   repeated    distresses    and    losses  have   discouraged   the   in- 
habitants, and  inclined  them  to  do  anything  at  all  to  better  their 
situation.     The  arrival  of   our   army  can  alone  free  them    from 
oppression  and  revive  their  courage.     A  certain   warrior.  Marquis 
de    Lafayette,   at   the   head   of   twelve  or  fifteen    hundred   men, 
has  nevertheless  found  means  to  keep  his  ground   all  this  time  in 
Virginia—the  impetuous   Arnold  and  the  active  Cornwallis    not 
daring  to   attempt   anything    against   him.      You   will    dubtless 
suppose  that  this  warrior  is  one  of  those  men  whose  long  experience 
and  brilliant  success  have  rendered  them  formidable  to  the  enemy. 
This  leader,  I  assure  you,  is  a  man  of  only  twenty-four  vearsof  age, 
who  luis  left  an  affectionate  and  amiable  wife — where  Ins  name  and 
an  alliance  with  an  illustrious  family  opened  a  way  to  the  greatest 


80 


Catholicity  in  We.'^tchester  County. 


if'sr  iiDOM    tho  ..non.v    M  ui  '  *'"^"  ''^''■*'''  '^"t  more  press- 

in  H  sr..fp  nf ,,.       ?  •   ?     'I'^ii'iced,  we  cjiimot  rem  an  much  loiitrer 

I  am,  &c. 


of  Ki™",.!,i;;„  .Iris.!;";'  "h',';;?""'  ^i  ""^ ""''«!  »'■'"••■ »" "-  -'= 

absolMtdy   T,«ccCv     If  J:      •7/''''  l>°*«'''»i»"  of  'J.is  island 
Islam]  .)r  \W  Y\  ,1        f  >  1","""'"  °'"'  l"^  ""'do  on   Lons; 

iioci,„',„bof  ,.,^^;?,  li';,  ^n'S  tr  u  :;:■'   r,'.r;' "",;!,  ,^'r'" 

..eoeive,,  .  P»/of'";;'';t     ■-'    ;,  S,'-  l^ep'  tVto^S 


CalholU-ity  in  Wesic/tenler  County.  31 

down   by   way    of   Kin^sbriilgo ;    and  on  the   other  side    orders 

toconstruot  0VCM.8  to  bake  brea.l  for  th.  troops.  wl,en  (.1,.  ,e,     ,,  th a 
quarto:-;  otherH    again,  are  onlored  towar,  s  Ph  h  le    h  u        V 
are  we  o  th.nk  ?    All  this  seo.n.  to  me  like  onr  the     ,  i        ;,„•  he 

mc  eaning.     I  am  m  donht  whether  the  nnravelling  of  tiie  matter 

then,  hv  his  pre  ence  v  1  «  /^'^f  '"S  «"'  "'  l>ii'ticular.  animates 
bv  is  loci  k  .owle,L  nf  1  '"  ^'''''  '"^'^^f  '•'«  "Hlitarv  talents, 
vei   of  sec   lev  r^^^^^  '"•"!""^'  '"\'^  ^y  t'"'^'  impenetrable 

I  am.  &c. 


Island  tliieatejie,!  witli  ,i   ,1»™,  r      i., .    °  ■    ''' ••'°''!''?--^'''"''' 
I>le.-TI,o  ,„■,„).  arrives  at  Princeton         ^'^     """"""'  °'  ""^  l'™' 

returned  to iJ:JtrS;e^';^;„'r,,:s^;s™^ 

till  eight  o'clock  the  nevr,v':'l,r  ^JlP"""''.  »■"  'IW  not  arrive 

»si::zsH:ESa:S5S 


I 


82 


Catholicity  in  \Vestclie»tvr  County. 


them  very  narrowly,  and  had  he  not  been  armed,  would  doubtless 
have  lost  his  life.     They  have  lately  hanged  a  secretary  belonging 
toc.neofoiircommissionerK,  and  asHassinated  an  otlicerof  tiio  Legion 
of  Laiiznn  ;  so   that  1    will  confeH^   to   you,  when  1   found    myself 
alone  and  defenecle.ss  in  those  woods,  1  was  in  dread  of  adding  to  the 
number  of  those  wlio  luul  fallen  victims  to  the  resentment  of  these 
enemies  of  republicanism.     Yet  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  arrive  safe 
at  the  canii)   having  {)assed  the  night  without  tentsor  shelter  of  any 
sort,  stretched  out  by  a  large  tire,  roasting  on  one  side  and   half 
drowned  o!i  the  other,— hi, d  even  found  means  to  sleep  several  hours, 
now  many  of  you  rich  sluggards,  under  gilt  ceilingsand  upon  vour 
beds  of  down,  have  not  been  able  to  do  as  much!     The  inhabitants 
of  the  country  were  greatly  8ur])ri3ed  to  see  us  returning  the  same 
road,  so  poor,  aiul  the  Tories,  with  a  malicious  sneer,  demanded  if 
we  were  going  to  rest  from  our  labours  ;  but  it  was  not  long  before 
they  discovered  the  feint.     We  were  now  advanced  considerably  up 
the  North  liner,  and  in  three  days  were  us  high  as  King's  Ferry  ; 
but  the  Americans  having  travelled  along  the  river  side,  had   ar- 
rived there  before  us.     Some  have  alleged  that  if  the  English  Jiad 
sent  some  armed  vessels  up  the  Hudson,  they  might  have  retarded 
usco  isKlerably,  and  have  done  us  infinite  mischief.     The  retrograde 
march  that  we  made  by  order  of  (ieneral  Washington,  was  doubt- 
Jess  meant  to  divert  them  from  this  attempt  ;  but  nevertheless  after 
the    trial  they  had  of  the   abilities  of  our  artillerymen,  they  must 
have   known  they  would    run  a  great  risk  of  having  thtir  vessels 
destroyed  especially  if  they  had  met  with  calms  or  contrary  winds. 
I  lie  allied  army  has  passed  a  great  part  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey, 
drawing  a  large  quantity  of  batteries  with  them  upon  carriages,  and 
always  menacing  Staten  Island. 


J  (luiibtle8» 
belonging 
tlio  Legion 
nd    niyHcIf 
[ling  to  tiio 
nt  of  tfieso 
iiirive  Hiifo 
Iter  of  any 
3  and   half 
era!  JioiirB. 
upon  your 
iiiiubitants 
;  tiie  same 
nianiit'd  if 
)ng  before 
lerably  up 
g's  Ferry  ; 
?,  had   ar- 
iglisli  had 
e  retarded 
retrograde 
as  doubt- 
iless  after 
they  must 
.ir  vessels 
iry  winds. 
j\v  Jersey, 
iages,  and 


